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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Jeff Ostrowski • Article Archive

A theorist, organist, and conductor, Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He completed studies in Education and Musicology at the graduate level. Having worked as a church musician in Los Angeles for ten years, in 2024 he accepted a position as choirmaster for Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Michigan, where he resides with his wife and children. —Read full biography (with photographs).

Jeff Ostrowski · July 17, 2013

The Organ Book of Adrian Fortescue

Charles Cole has saved me a trip!

Jeff Ostrowski · July 16, 2013

Something We Humans Detest: Hypocrisy!

“Members of this American liturgical/musical establishment continually boast about their flexibility and sensitivity, but they are in fact the most rigid and insensitive of the Church’s members, especially if one has the temerity to challenge them, their policies, their processes, or their programs.” — Paul Le Voir (1993)

Jeff Ostrowski · July 16, 2013

Pavane for a Dead Princess — Maurice Ravel

One thing I’ve wanted to do for years is write about the Jesuit Martyrs of North America and share their stories with the world. I have failed.

Jeff Ostrowski · July 11, 2013

Bishop Fulton Sheen & Mass in Vietnamese

More than 100,000 persons saw and heard Church history in the making as Auxiliary Bishop Fulton J. Sheen of New York celebrated the first Pontifical Mass ever said in English.

Jeff Ostrowski · July 9, 2013

Why are the Psalms numbered differently?

Why don’t the Psalm numbers match? This 1-page, printable PDF sheet will show you clearly the difference between the Greek and Hebrew numbering systems.

Jeff Ostrowski · July 8, 2013

Madeleine Lipatti & The Chopin Concerto Scandal

“One more reason to hate Wagner!”

Jeff Ostrowski · July 8, 2013

A Tale Of Three Cities

“Do not seek to follow in the master’s footsteps. Seek what he sought.”

Jeff Ostrowski · July 2, 2013

Anthrax . . . and the Mass Propers, of course!

It would seem that Corey Zelinski’s “anthrax” predates Professor László Dobszay’s.

Jeff Ostrowski · July 1, 2013

Attic Recordings, “Rach 3,” and Church Musicians

“This is a reckless, dazzling performance quite different from the way the concerto is played by most of today’s pianists.”

Jeff Ostrowski · June 26, 2013

Video Demonstration Of Polyphony

I hope you enjoy this SATB version of the St. Edmund Arrowsmith Mass, a simple musical setting for “MR3” (Roman Missal, 3rd Edition).

Jeff Ostrowski · June 26, 2013

Gregorian Missal With The New Translation!

Can anyone help me understand this sentence in the Foreword?

Jeff Ostrowski · June 24, 2013

The Gather Hymnal

Excuse me, but . . . Say what? “If Christ entered the room, we’d be on our feet in an instant. We would not kneel.”

Jeff Ostrowski · June 23, 2013

Two (2) Errors In Printed Chabanel Book

There have been several errors found in the Chabanel Psalms Vocalist Book.

Jeff Ostrowski · June 20, 2013

Letter To Hans Küng . . . in 1963!

“Where on earth do you come up with the notion of omitting the Gradual? You talk about the necessity of going back to the very oldest of the Church’s traditions.” — Msgr. Francis P. Schmitt

Jeff Ostrowski · June 19, 2013

What Happened To Chapel Veils At Mass?

“While it is not obligatory for women to wear mantillas, I personally think they’re a beautiful and elegant way to show reverence for Christ.” — Matt Fradd

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Music List • (4th Sunday of Lent)
    Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for this coming Sunday, which is the 4th Sunday of Lent (15 March 2026). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. This feast has sublime propers. It is most often referred to as “Lætare Sunday” owing to its INTROIT. I encourage all the readers to visit the feasts website, where the Propria Missae may be downloaded completely free of charge.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • Communion (4th Snd. Lent)
    The COMMUNION ANTIPHON for this coming Sunday, which is the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year A), is particularly beautiful. There’s something irresistible about this tone; it’s neither happy nor sad. As always, I encourage readers to visit the flourishing feasts website, where the complete Propria Missae may be downloaded free of charge.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Good Friday Flowers
    Good Friday has a series of prayers for various parties: the pope, catechumens, pagans, heretics, schismatics, and so forth. In the old liturgical books, there was no official ‘name’ for these prayers. (This wasn’t unusual as ‘headers’ and ‘titles’ for each section is a rather modern idea.) The Missal simply instructed the priest to go to the Epistle side and begin. In the SHERBORNE MISSAL, each prayer begins with a different—utterly spectacular—flower. This PDF file shows the first few prayers. Has anyone counted the ‘initial’ drop-cap flowers in the SHERBORNE MISSAL? Surely there are more than 1,000.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Dies Irae” • A Monstrous Translation
    It isn’t easy to determine what Alice King MacGilton hoped to accomplish with her very popular book—A Study of Latin Hymns (1918)—which continued to be reprinted in new editions for at least 34 years. This PDF file shows her attempt to translate the DIES IRAE “in the fewest words possible.” There’s a place for dynamic equivalency, but this is repugnant. In particular, look what she does to “Quærens me sedísti lassus.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Holy, Holy, Holy”
    For vigil Masses on Saturday (a.k.a. “anticipated” Masses) we use this simpler setting of the “Holy, Holy, Holy” by Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989), a Belgian priest, organist, composer, and music educator who ultimately succeeded another ‘Jules’ (CANON JULES VAN NUFFEL) as director of the Lemmensinstituut in Belgium. Although I could be wrong, my understanding is that the LEMMENSINSTITUUT eventually merged with “Catholic University of Leuven” (originally founded in 1425). That’s the university Fulton J. Sheen attended.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Grotesque Pairing • “Passion Chorale”
    One of our rarest releases was undoubtably this PDF scan of the complete Pope Pius XII Hymnal (1959) by Father Joseph Roff, a student of Healey Willan. One of the scarcest titles in existence, this book was provided to us by Mr. Peter Meggison. Back in 2018, we scanned each page and uploaded it to our website, making it freely available to everyone. Readers are probably sick of hearing me say this, but just because we upload something that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wonderful or worthy of imitation. We upload many publications precisely because they are ‘grotesque’, interesting, or revealing. Whereas the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal had an editorial board that was careful and sensitive vis-à-vis pairing texts with tunes, the Pope Pius XII Hymnal (1959) seems to have been rather reckless in this regard. Please take a look at what they did with the PASSION CHORALE and see whether you agree.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“I left music college swearing never to write another note again … It was during the mid-1980s when esoteric and cerebral avant-garde music was still considered the right kind of music to be writing.”

— James MacMillan

Recent Posts

  • “Breviary Editors Did It First!” • Omitting Verses?
  • Music List • (4th Sunday of Lent)
  • Consultor to the Vatican Council Enters the Fray • (Vis-à-vis Jeff’s Pipe Organ Assertion)
  • Palm Sunday • “Repertoire for Children’s Choir”
  • PDF Download • Communion (4th Snd. Lent)

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